Gladys West, mathematician whose work made GPS possible, dies at 95

Authored by denver7.com and submitted by AudibleNod
image for Gladys West, mathematician whose work made GPS possible, dies at 95

Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose groundbreaking work made GPS possible, has died at the age of 95.

West passed away over the weekend, surrounded by family and friends.

Born on a Dinwiddie County farm in Virginia during the Great Depression, West overcame segregation to become a groundbreaking scientist.

At the Naval Surface Warfare Center, she spent years calculating precise models of Earth's shape. Her mathematical work became the backbone of the Global Positioning System we all use today.

"This woman had so much knowledge and was just such a beautiful person," said Marvin Jackson, Gladys' biographer, in a 2022 interview.

This story was initially reported by a journalist with the Scripps News Group station in Richmond, Virginia and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.

caligaris_cabinet on January 21st, 2026 at 21:57 UTC »

We’d be lost without her.

RIP

Knick_Knick on January 21st, 2026 at 21:48 UTC »

Thanks for all the geocaching fun, Dr West.

AudibleNod on January 21st, 2026 at 21:32 UTC »

At the Naval Surface Warfare Center, she spent years calculating precise models of Earth's shape. Her mathematical work became the backbone of the Global Positioning System we all use today.

The modern world owes a lot to this woman. We'd still be using Rand McNally or grandma's directions (turn left at the Texaco) if it wasn't for her contributions.